Interview with the Founders Part 11: Kristina (and end to EDAW!)

To end this years successful EDA Week, I spoke to Project HEAL co-founder, Kristina Saffran. This year, chapters hosted many successful events and fundraisers, and as of posting time, EDAW fundraisers have raised over $5,000. This will help save many lives through treatment.
Written by Jacqueline Elkort, Project HEAL's National Blog Manager

EDAW is an annual series of events that undoubtedly involve a lot of work and planning. The creation of Project HEAL also involved a lot of planning and work, something that pushed Kristina, one of the co-founders of Project HEAL(along with Liana Rosenman), into 100% recovery. As Project HEAL grew, Kristina grew, into solid recovery. Now as the new Executive Director, she hopes to keep growing the organization and its primary mission to raise funds for treatment grants, as well as be the organizations second mission- to provide role models for those struggling with or recovering from ED.

Today Project HEAL has over 45 chapters spanning North America, Central America and Australia, and its goal is to keep growing and to have chapters in all fifty states. Ten grant recipients were sent to treatment centers just this year, and the organization currently works with seven partner clinics. “Seeing people in need getting grants [from Project HEAL] feels like what a parent feels like when they send their kid to college, I would imagine,” says Kristina. It is rightly very difficult to determine which applicants can be awarded treatment grants. There is about one person A DAY applying for a treatment grant. Think of how many people PHEAL has the potential to help!

Kristina says that EDA Week helps to remind people to get involved, and reinforces the importance of donations to the organization, all of which go directly to those in need. “For me,” says Kristina, “making the decision to get better was the scariest- I was terrified to let go of my ED identity.” Kristina didn’t believe that 100% recovery was possible. She decided once and for all to stop listening to the little voice in her head, and take the leap to recovery. This is why she identified so strongly with the theme of this year’s very successful EDAW, fearless living. Kristina is living fearlessly in her decision to recently move to California from NY/Boston, despite not knowing a single person there. This decision has proven to be fruitful for her, as she loves her new state, and has made friends. When asked what other ways she is living fearlessly, she cites her new Executive Director role. “I am not quite sure how to run an organization at age 22, but I am excited.” If past success and performance is any indication, Project HEAL will continue to be an amazing, exemplary organization, and Kristina will continue to be an inspiration to us all.

Check out Project HEAL’s Facebook and Instagram accounts to see videos of others living fearlessly #notfearEd, and submit your own!

You can find out more about the founders, this years’ EDAW, and its events on theProjectHEAL.org